Staniel Cay

Staniel Cay is the Jewel in the Crown of the Bahamas Islands; A stunning oasis in the Exumas which is home to a small local island community in the village and gateway to the Exuma archipelago including the famous Swimming Pigs, Sharks and Thunderball Grotto.

Staniel Cay Bahamas is a tourist hot spot in the Exuma Cays region of the archipelago. It is located about 75 miles south of the capital, Nassau. Additionally, it is about 250 miles southeast of the Florida peninsula.

Being only 2 miles squared, the island only has around 100 permanent inhabitants, however, it sees thousands of tourists per year.

Most permanent inhabitants are situated on the western shore where the Staniel Cay Bahamas village is located. The village is made up of mostly residential housing, but also several retail shops, churches, a marine supply store, a post office, and a library.

Staniel Cay Village as seen from the Air.

Where is the Staniel Cay Airport

The island of Staniel Cay is situated between Big Major Cay (Pig Island) and Bitter Guana Cay. It is one of the larger islands in the whole Exumas.

The landing strip is located directly centered within the island. It is located just a half of a mile from the popular Staniel Cay Yacht Club and can be reached by car within five minutes.

The open air Terminal building at Staniel Cay Airport

History of Staniel Cay

Staniel Cay was established as a part of the region in 1783 with the settlement of the Exuma Cays. However, it wasn’t until 1956 with the introduction of the Staniel Cay Yacht Club which the island became more routinely visited and on the world’s radar.

The Multi-colored Bungalows of the Staniel Cay Yacht Club

In addition, with one of the only airport landing strips in the region, Staniel Cay has become a central hub and gateway to the Exumas. Its airport has two hangars and one runway. It receives arrivals from Nassau and Fort Lauderdale, Florida everyday.

What to do on a Staniel Cay Day Tour

Most day tour from Nassau will fly or cruise into Staniel Cay because of its accessibility with an airport and large marina. There are also day tours from Miami which are becoming ever more popular because of the accessibility of air travel to Staniel Cay.

There are plenty of things to do on a day tour to Staniel Cay. Some of the best marine life in the Bahamas can be found nearby Staniel Cay.

Ocean Beach on Staniel Cay is on the East coast of the Island

There are a number of recreational activities you can access from Staniel Cay Village such as boating rentals, eco-tours, fishing, kayaking, picnicking, snorkeling, swimming, or stand-up paddle boarding.

There are five main beaches on Staniel Cay: Town Beach, Pirate Trap Beach, Ho Tai Cay Beach, South Beach, and Ocean Beach. You can access each of them by foot from the airport within twenty minutes walking. Although Ocean Beach is not suitable for swimming, the rest are and all are certainly worth a visit.

The main public beach on Staniel Cay

Visitor information for Staniel Cay Bahamas

There are no ATMs available on Staniel Cay. Bring whatever cash you need with you during your stay. United States Dollars (USD) are widely accepted among the village and credit cards are accepted at Staniel Cay Yacht Club with a 5% processing fee added.

To get around, if you are staying at Staniel Cay Yacht Club, a bicycle is provided with the accommodation. However, if those aren’t your speed, you can also get around the island by way of a golf cart. However, the entire island is all walkable which is highly recommended at least once. Points of Interest on Staniel Cay.

Cycling is a great way to explore the small lanes of Staniel Cay

Staniel Cay Cemetery; a funeral is a big occasion on Staniel Cay. The cemetery is quite a focal point to the island from a local’s perspective. Often, the burial ceremony is very family-involved. As wives prepare the food and homes for family and friends coming from other parts of the country, men are busy preparing the burial site. The deceased is sent to Nassau for one to two weeks of preparation before returning to Staniel Cay for the very solemn ceremony.

Staniel Cay Collector’s Items; one of the islands trickiest conflicts is the discarding of ‘junk’. However, as the saying goes, one man’s trash is another’s treasure. Because of this, you will find old parts and pieces and whole sets of machinery such as airplane propellers, tractor engines, and entire vintage vehicles which no longer operate scattered about the island and hidden in fields.

An old abandoned truck alongside a road on Staniel Cay

The Wells; being an island, drinkable water is always a concern. In the early 1900’s a few deep groundwater wells were dug and used for decades. Some still stand, some are covered by brush, and others were destroyed when technological advances allowed for Reverse Osmosis purifying of sea water.

How to get to Staniel Cay Bahamas

The Bahamas have a tradition of Quirky Road Signs like this one

You can visit Staniel Cay Bahamas and fly into the airport via Bahamas Air Tours once-in-a-lifetime air tour to the Exuma Cays.

The trip from Nassau takes just thirty minutes by air and you arrive in style with your private party. See the Exumas from the largest viewing windows aboard any aircraft in the world.

Astronauts have said the most beautiful view from space is of the Exumas and there is only one way to find out.

Welcome to Staniel Cay painted on the main Dock

What is nearby Staniel Cay ?

Staniel Cay Yacht Club: the busiest spot on the island, SCYC has a lunch and dinner restaurant, an 18-slip marina, a bar, and even accommodation in the form of 14 private seaside cottages. It has been visited by the likes of several celebrities and is the center of all the action on Staniel Cay.

Swimming Pigs Bahamas: the Exumas pigs on Big Major Cay (Pig Island) of Pig Beach are just a short ten-minute ride from Staniel Cay Bahamas. There are around twenty-five pigs and piglets all around the beach who are said to have arrived on the island in the 1990s. Now, they are one of the top attractions in the Exumas.

Thunderball Grotto: this is the setting of the thrilling Hollywood hit, ‘Thunderball’ starring Sean Connery, an edition of the popular James Bond 007 films. The grotto is within sight of Staniel Cay nestled between the yacht club and Pigs Beach. It has been featured in several films since then including “Never Say Never”; another Bond film released in the 80s.

Exploring the many underwater passages into Thunderball Grotto Cave

Sunken Plane Wreck: located just a half a mile from the shore of Staniel Cay, a drug trafficking plane from Carlos Ledher’s Colombian kingpin went down in the late 70s. It is said the plane was loaded with bales of marijuana and now, under six feet of water, it is one of the most accessible plane wrecks in the world.

Compass Cay Marina: one of the most often-traveled destinations in the region because of the experience of swimming with nurse sharks. The sharks can grow to be up to 12-feet long with abnormally long tail fins which sweep through the sea as they feed off the sandy sea bottom.

Bitter Guana Cay: search the terrain for the endangered Northern Bahamian Rock Iguanas which only live in the Exumas but especially on Bitter Guana Cay. These iguanas can grow up to four feet long and there are only 5,000 left in existence.

Great Guana Cay: a 7-mile-long islet which is home to a little over 150 people with excellent snorkeling and colorful coral nearby. It also has enjoyable beaches and easily accessible boating areas.